He
campaigned on the huge crowd sizes, but the turnout for the
inauguration of President Donald Trump appears to be smaller than that
of his predecessor as measured by side-by-side photos of the two events.
campaigned on the huge crowd sizes, but the turnout for the
inauguration of President Donald Trump appears to be smaller than that
of his predecessor as measured by side-by-side photos of the two events.
It’s
hard to gauge crowd sizes and the National Park Service, which oversees
the National Mall, doesn’t offer estimates of any sort.
hard to gauge crowd sizes and the National Park Service, which oversees
the National Mall, doesn’t offer estimates of any sort.
But
the side-by-side images of Friday’s ceremony alongside the 2009
inauguration of President Barack Obama show a significantly smaller
crowd on the National Mall for Trump than for Obama. There is empty
ground exposed in the Trump photos. The same spots were almost entirely
covered eight years ago, when estimates at the time suggested 1.8
million people attended the inauguration. The images above do not
capture people who might have viewed from the west side of the
Washington monument. And there are some differences. The grass on the
mall is covered in white plastic for Trump’s inauguration, but not for
Obama’s.
the side-by-side images of Friday’s ceremony alongside the 2009
inauguration of President Barack Obama show a significantly smaller
crowd on the National Mall for Trump than for Obama. There is empty
ground exposed in the Trump photos. The same spots were almost entirely
covered eight years ago, when estimates at the time suggested 1.8
million people attended the inauguration. The images above do not
capture people who might have viewed from the west side of the
Washington monument. And there are some differences. The grass on the
mall is covered in white plastic for Trump’s inauguration, but not for
Obama’s.
The photo of Trump’s inauguration was taken from television during his speech — peak time for the crowd.
The
photo of Obama’s inauguration was taken by Getty and doesn’t indicate
the time, but Trump’s should represent his largest audience.
photo of Obama’s inauguration was taken by Getty and doesn’t indicate
the time, but Trump’s should represent his largest audience.
When
President Obama took the oath of office in 2009, conditions were clear
with temperatures were in the 20s. Eight years later, temperatures
hovered in the high 40s with intermittent rain.
President Obama took the oath of office in 2009, conditions were clear
with temperatures were in the 20s. Eight years later, temperatures
hovered in the high 40s with intermittent rain.
Another
sign attendance for Trump’s inauguration could be lower: Metro
ridership. Per WMATA, the Washington area transit authority, as of 11
am, 193,000 trips had been taken on the city’s subway system. At the
same hour in 2009, that number was 513,000, according to WMATA. The same
time for the second Obama inauguration saw 317,000 riders, and
President George W. Bush’s second inauguration saw 197,000 riders by 11
am.
sign attendance for Trump’s inauguration could be lower: Metro
ridership. Per WMATA, the Washington area transit authority, as of 11
am, 193,000 trips had been taken on the city’s subway system. At the
same hour in 2009, that number was 513,000, according to WMATA. The same
time for the second Obama inauguration saw 317,000 riders, and
President George W. Bush’s second inauguration saw 197,000 riders by 11
am.
The Joint Congressional
Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies distributed about 250,000 tickets for
Trump’s inauguration, per spokeswoman Laura Condeluci, including 1,600
on the platform and another 1,000 on the bleachers above. That number is
on par with the distributed tickets for previous ceremonies. Most
onlookers are beyond the ticketed point and watch the proceedings from
the National Mall.
Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies distributed about 250,000 tickets for
Trump’s inauguration, per spokeswoman Laura Condeluci, including 1,600
on the platform and another 1,000 on the bleachers above. That number is
on par with the distributed tickets for previous ceremonies. Most
onlookers are beyond the ticketed point and watch the proceedings from
the National Mall.
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